Retiring (The Power of Prayer)

Retiring (The Power of Prayer)

Written by: Alex Randazzo

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24

And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. Luke 1:23

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14

What does Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Jackie Robinson have in common?

Besides all being star athletes, they all retired. There came a time, when even the greatest athletes had to take off their jersey for the last time. It’s a sad feeling retiring from something you love, but know that the Lord has a plan.

I remember as a young kid my father had a dvd about Wayne Gretzky’s retirement. It was narrated by Keifer Sutherland. Have you seen it?

In the video, Keifer is interviewing Wayne Gretzky about coming to the decision of retiring, and I remember Wayne Gretzky said something along the lines of “It took a lot of thought and conversations with my wife and family, and it was time. I could have played longer, but after a lot of consideration, it was time.” (Not a direct quote.)

Retirement is a natural part of the game and of life, and it hits us all. I recently retired from my hockey career. It was a hard decision, and not one to be taken lightly. It is never a fun decision giving up on your dream since childhood. And the decision took a lot of prayer. Whenever a Christian makes a big decision, prayer is a must. Not only must we discuss big descisions with those around us, but we also must discuss it with the Lord. We do this most often by prayer, yet many people don’t know what it truly means to pray.

Many people are familiar with the simple ‘bedtime prayer.’

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I were to die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.”

But as we grow older, a few things happen. First- we stop saying this prayer and graduate to a “Dear God, please let me have a new hockey stick and skates and gloves. Amen.”

And then after that fades as we mature into adulthood, our prayers often disappear indefinitely, and are only used in the most dire circumstances.

Yet this is not what the Lord wants at all. In fact, God wants us to share with Him in all events, our joys, (winning a championship or scoring a goal), our sorrows, (Losing a game or getting an injury), and He especially wants to be consulted when we make big life decisions like moving or retiring.

Paul writes in Romans that we are to be “ever constant in prayer,” (Romans 12:12), The Lord is just looking for opportunities to help you in making big life decisions, and once they are made, He wants to be there for you. Whether it be watching over you and guiding you as you move to a new job, or whether it be consoling me after making the sad decision to retire.

The Lord is always there, and He will “never leave you nor forsake you.” All you have to do is open up your heart and mind to speak to Him, and He will guide you in your path, much like he has guided me in mine.

Questions to think about:

Are you spending quality time with God in prayer?

Do you have any big decisions that you need to make that you should talk to God about?

Is the Lord calling you to retire something? A job, a bad habit, a reoccurring sin?